VATICAN CITY, DEC 4, 1997 (VIS) - John Paul II wrote the
Encyclical "Laborem Exercens" in 1981, on the occasion of
the 90th anniversary of Leo XIII's Encyclical "Rerum Novarum"
on the question of labor. It was signed on September 14,
feast of the Holy Cross.
In it he develops the concept of man's dignity in work,
structuring it in four points: the subordination of work to
man; the primacy of the worker over the whole of instruments
and conditioning that historically constitute the world of
labor; the rights of the human person as the determining
factor of all socio-economic, technological and productive
processes, that must be recognized; and some elements that
can help all men identify with Christ through their own
work.
The Encyclical has an introduction and four chapters:
"Work and Man," "Conflict Between Labor and Capital in the
Present Phase of History," "Rights of Workers," and
"Elements for a Spirituality of Work."
I. INTRODUCTION
"I wish to devote this document," writes the Pope, "to human
work and, even more, to man in the vast context of the
reality of work. ... Work is one of these aspects, a
perennial and fundamental one, one that is always relevant
and constantly demands renewed attention and decisive
witness."
It is not for the Church to analyze the repercussions
that changes in the world of labor may have on human
coexistence. "But the Church considers it her task always to
call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work,
to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights
are violated, and to help to guide the above-mentioned
changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and
society."
"Human work is a key, probably the essential key, to the
whole social question, if we try to see that question really
from the point of view of man's good. And if the solution -
or rather the gradual solution - of the social question,
which keeps coming up and becomes ever more complex, must be
sought in the direction of 'making life more human', then
the key, namely human work, acquires fundamental and
decisive importance."
II. WORK AND MAN
John Paul II underlines the Church's conviction that "work
is a fundamental dimension of man's existence on earth."
This conviction is found in the first pages of Genesis: "Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it."
"Man's dominion over the earth is achieved in and by
means of work. ... The proper subject of work continues to
be man," and the finality of work "is always man himself."
It is a question of the objective and subjective meaning of
work: although both are important, the second takes
precedence; "there is no doubt that human work has an
ethical value of its own, which clearly and directly remains
linked to the fact that the one who carries it out is a
person, a conscious and free subject, that is to say a
subject that decides about himself."
Although technology fosters an increase in the things
produced by work, sometimes it "can cease to be man's ally
and become almost his enemy, as when the mechanization of
work 'supplants' him, taking away all personal satisfaction
and the incentive to creativity and responsibility, when it
deprives many workers of their previous employment, or when,
through exalting the machine, it reduces man to the status
of its slave."
The Holy Father recalls that "in order to achieve social
justice in the various parts of the world, in the various
countries, and in the relationships between them, there is a
need for ever new movements of solidarity of the workers and
with the workers."
"Work is a good thing for man - a good thing for his
humanity - because through work man not only transforms
nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves
fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes
'more a human being'."
III. CONFLICT BETWEEN LABOR AND CAPITAL IN THE PRESENT PHASE
OF HISTORY
The Pope observes that during the period which has passed
since the publication of "Rerum Novarum" (1891), "which is
by no means yet over, the issue of work has of course been
posed on the basis of the great conflict that in the age of,
and together with, industrial development emerged between
'capital' and 'labor'."
This antagonism "found expression in the ideological
conflict between liberalism, understood as the ideology of
capitalism, and Marxism, understood as the ideology of
scientific socialism and communism, which professes to act
as the spokesman for the working class and the world-wide
proletariat."
Later, he recalls the principle of "the priority of labor
over capital." The first "is always a primary efficient
cause, while capital, the whole collection of means of
production, remains a mere instrument or instrumental
cause." Thus appears the error of economism, "that of
considering human labor solely according to its economic
purpose."
John Paul II then refers to the right to private
property, emphasizing that the Church's teaching regarding
this principle "diverges radically from the program of
collectivism as proclaimed by Marxism," and "the program of
capitalism practiced by liberalism and by the political
systems inspired by it."
"The position of 'rigid' capitalism continues to remain
unacceptable, namely the position that defends the exclusive
right to private ownership of the means of production as an
untouchable 'dogma' of economic life. The principle of
respect for work demands that this right should undergo a
constructive revision, both in theory and in practice." For
this reason, regardless of the type of system of production,
it is necessary for each worker to be aware that "he is
working 'for himself'."
IV. RIGHTS OF WORKERS
The Holy Father highlights that the human rights that are
derived from work are a part of the fundamental rights of
the person.
He discusses the need to take action against
unemployment, which is a true social calamity and a problem
of a moral as well as an economic nature.
Starting with the concept of the "indirect employer," in
other words, "all the agents at the national and
international level that are responsible for the whole
orientation of labor policy," he notes that in order to
solve the problem of unemployment, these agents "must make
provision for overall planning." This "cannot mean one-sided
centralization by the public authorities. Instead, what is
in question is a just and rational coordination, within the
framework of which the initiative of individuals ... must be
safeguarded."
Speaking of the rights of workers, he recalls the dignity
of agricultural work and the need to offer jobs to disabled
people. As for the matter of salaries, he writes that "the
key problem of social ethics in this case is that of just
remuneration for work done."
In addition, "there must be a social re-evaluation of the
mother's role." Specifically, "the whole labor process must
be organized and adapted in such a way as to respect the
requirements of the person and his or her forms of life,
above all life in the home, taking into account the
individual's age and sex."
It is fitting that women "should be able to fulfill their
tasks in accordance with their own nature, without being
discriminated against and without being excluded from jobs
for which they are capable, but also without lack of respect
for their family aspirations and for their specific role in
contributing, together with men, to the good of society."
Besides wages, there are other social benefits whose
objective is "to ensure the life and health of workers and
their families." In this regard, he notes the right to
leisure time, which should include weekly rest and yearly
vacations.
The Pope then considers the importance of unions, which
he calls "an indispensable element of social life." "One
method used by unions in pursuing the just rights of their
members is the strike or work stoppage. This method is
recognized by Catholic social teaching as legitimate in the
proper conditions and within just limits," but must not be
abused.
As for the question of emigration for work reasons, he
affirms that man has the right to leave his country to seek
better living conditions in another. "The most important
thing is that the person working away from his native land,
whether as a permanent emigrant or as a seasonal worker,
should not be placed at a disadvantage in comparison with
the other workers in that society in the matter of working
rights."
V. ELEMENTS FOR A SPIRITUALITY OF WORK
In this last chapter, he underlines the elements that help
give labor the meaning that it has in God's eyes. Thus, "the
knowledge that by means of work man shares in the work of
creation constitutes the most profound motive for
undertaking it in various sectors."
Labor is participation in the work of the Creator and the
Redeemer. Jesus Christ looks upon work with love because he
himself was a laborer. This is a doctrine, and at the same
time a program, that is rooted in the "Gospel of work"
proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth.
"By enduring the toil of work in union with Christ
crucified for us, man in a way collaborates with the Son of
God for the redemption of humanity. He shows himself a true
disciple of Christ by carrying the cross in his turn every
day in the activity that he is called upon to perform."
At the very end, the Holy Father notes that he prepared
this document for publication on May 15, the date of the
90th anniversary of "Rerum Novarum," but that due to his
hospital stay after the attempt on his life on May 13, he
was not able to complete the definitive revision on time.
